AMD continues to flex its ability to produce powerful APUs (Accelerated Processing Units) through products like Ryzen AI Max+ 395, combining the best of the company’s graphics and processor designs. As the brand now likely busies itself on new SKUs using its Zen 6 CPU architecture, many hoped it would come part and parcel with an RDNA 4 GPU. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case.
Confirmation that AMD won’t pair RDNA 4 GPUs with any CPUs, Zen 6 or otherwise, comes from the company’s GPUOpen Drivers Github page. As highlighted by regular Radeon leaker Kepler_L2, the company’s newest graphics architecture sits separately in the codebase (listed as GfxIp12) from its forebears with an explicit descriptor of ‘dGPU only’.
In lieu of RDNA 4 GPUs to use for its next-generation APUs, there are two paths open to AMD. The company will either reuse its existing RDNA 3.5 designs, á la Radeon 8060S et al., or make the jump to its previously announced UDNA (Unified DNA) architecture. I’m hopeful that the company takes the latter approach given that dies using its upcoming architecture should enter mass production in Q2 2026 if rumours hold true. Of course, the former would presumably provide some cost savings.
Disappointing as it is to learn that we won’t see RDNA 4 flex its muscles in an APU, as the architecture so brilliantly does in the desktop space via Radeon RX 9070 XT, there’s still plenty to look forward to regarding future Ryzen CPUs. Some rumours claim that Zen 6 will usher in more cores and cache following a near-decade of AMD adhering to the same counts on both fronts.
Meanwhile, RDNA 4 will have at least one more moment in the spotlight via Radeon RX 9060 Series graphics cards. Those in search of high-end offerings from AMD this generation are out of luck, but the brand intends on returning to the high-end in the future. This should mark the debut of UDNA in the desktop space, so having some patience could prove rewarding.
For more on CPUs, check out my AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D review and expect coverage of the company’s graphics cards in due course alongside its competitors’ offerings. Make sure to follow Club386 on Google News to stay in the loop.
